February 16 in Tigers and mlb history:
1915: Home Run Baker, 28, announces his retirement following a contract dispute with Connie Mack. He will sit out the 1915 season. Mack will also have salary problems with Chief Bender, Eddie Plank and Jack Coombs, and rather than compete with the Federal League, he releases the stars.
1929: The Detroit Tigers purchased Emil Yde from Indianapolis (American Association).
1933: The Detroit Tigers purchased Dave Barbee and Erv Brame from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1934: Pitcher Eppa Rixey of the Cincinnati Reds announces his retirement after 21 seasons and a career 266-251 mark. Tomorrow, Urban "Red" Faber will also retire, leaving a 20-year career mark of 254-212, all with the Chicago White Sox. Both hurlers will gain eventual election to the Hall of Fame.
1950: Former Giants Mel Ott and Bill Terry are the top vote-getters, but fail to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
1952: Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent most of those years.
1956: Major League owners announce that the players' pension fund will receive 60 percent of World Series and All-Star Game radio and TV revenues.
1965: The Detroit Tigers released Bubba Phillips.
1967: Former New York Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing, author of 273 major league wins, is elected to the Hall of Fame.
1980: Milwaukee Brewers coach Harvey Kuenn has his right leg amputated below the knee after four operations to remove a blood clot.
1989: Orel Hershiser becomes the first player in major league history to sign a contract that calls for a $3 million salary by inking a three-year, $7.9 million contract with the Dodgers that will pay him $3,166,667 in 1991.
1996: General Mills announces a special edition Wheaties cereal box honoring Negro League superstars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell.
1999: The Detroit Tigers signed Robinson Checo as a free agent.
2001: The Yankees' premier reliever, Mariano Rivera (7-4, 2.85, 36 saves), signs a four-year contract worth approximately $40 million with the Bronx Bombers. The 31-year-old Panama native surpassed Dennis Eckersley's major league record with 16 saves in postseason games.
2003: Although banned by Major League Baseball for a Cooperstown induction, Pete Rose becomes a member of the "Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame". Charlie Hustle joins 1998 inductee Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is also banned from becoming a member of the Hall of Fame.
2005: The Detroit Tigers signed Edwin Almonte as a free agent.
2007: The Detroit Tigers signed Dennis Tankersley as a free agent.
2011: Albert Pujols' self-imposed deadline for reaching agreement on a long-term contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals expires without a deal. Pujols, who is seeking $300 million over 10 years, states that there will be no more negotiations during the season in order to avoid a potential distraction. The three-time National League MVP is slated to become a free agent next fall.
2011: Late tonight, Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera is arrested in Fort Pierce, FL and charged with driving under the influence and refusing to cooperate with police officers. In October 2009, Cabrera was also arrested for threatening his wife while intoxicated as the Tigers were playing a crucial series to determine the AL Central champion.
2018: Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami, FL sue former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria for failure to execute a clause in the contract through which the governments provided funding for the construction of Marlins Park, which called for Loria to pay a 5% equity on any profit from the sale of the team. Through what the city and county call "fuzzy math", Loria claims to have made a loss on the sale, even though he received $1.2 billion for the team, having bought it for $158 million in 2002.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sullijo02.shtml
John Sullivan 1905.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/coxre01.shtml
Red Cox 1920.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/didiebo01.shtml
Bob Didier 1973.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/abbotgl01.shtml
Glenn Abbott 1983-1984.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/henrydw01.shtml
Dwayne Henry 1995.
Tigers players who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/congedi01.shtml
Dick Conger 1940.
Baseball Reference
